Islamic Personalities

Shounaz Meky

The purity and
humbleness of Fatima placed her among the world’s best of women, as per a
saying for the prophet, which narrates as: “The best women in the entire world
are four: the Virgin Mary, Aasiya the wife of Pharaoh, Khadijah Mother of the
Believers, and Fatimah daughter of Mohammed.”....

Tahir Iqbal

As part of his
endeavours towards the purification of Islam, Ahmad Sirhindi vehemently
rejected Ibn Al-Arabi’s ontological expositions and ‘Wahdat-ul-Wajood’
and promoted the Qur’anic doctrine of Tawheed. He stated that God is far
and far above the grasp of our faculty of reason and ‘Kashf’. “Allah is
beyond the beyond, and again beyond the beyond. Neither His being nor His
attributes are directly knowable.”...

Sadia Dehlvi

Sadia Dehlvi

Having said
that Nuri lost his senses and overpowered with yearning for God, he walked into
the freshly harvested reed beds. The reeds pierced Nuri’s feet and with every
drop of blood that fell, the word Allah appeared. Unconscious of the pain, Nuri
bled profusely. Some fellow Sufis bought Nuri to his home and realising he had
little time, asked him to recite the declaration of Islamic faith, “Say, there
is no god but God…”“Why, I am on my way there,” he replied. And thereupon he
died....

Dr Muhammad Maroof Shah

Allama Anwar Shah (Allama is now a day s applied to street scholars –
Ilm being taken from inferior minds is according to a Hadees, a symptom of
approaching Doomsday) had second thoughts regarding his life work spent in
defending Fiqh of a certain kind – his enormous resources could perhaps have
been better spent in developing Muslim philosophy, especially Sadrean and
Iqbalian streaks, with both of which he shared much. ....

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

The second caliph in Islamic history, Umar Farouq remains a shining
comet of piety .He led a very austere life. On several occasions’ foreign
envoys and messengers deputed to Umar by their rulers and generals found him
resting under a palm tree or praying in the mosque with common people. It was
impossible to distinguish the Caliph from the general crowd. Such was the
simplicity and earthiness of Umar….

Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam

Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam

“Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) spread awareness concerning character and manner towards one’s
parents, relatives, friends, family, humanity, animals, plants and other
inanimate objects in a full fledge manner. It is impossible for the human mind
alone to grasp all of that teaching or to come up with similar ideologies and
ideas”....

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

The second caliph in Islamic history, Umar Farouq remains a shining
comet of piety .He led a very austere life. On several occasions’ foreign
envoys and messengers deputed to Umar by their rulers and generals found him
resting under a palm tree or praying in the mosque with common people. It was
impossible to distinguish the Caliph from the general crowd. Such was the
simplicity and earthiness of Umar....

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

Moin Qazi, New Age Islam

Fatima al-Fihri
migrated with her father Mohamed al-Fihri and sister Maram from al-Kairouan (al-Qayrawan) in Tunisia,
to Fez in Morocco. She was well versed in classical Islamic learning such as
fiqh (jurisprudence) and Hadith (Islamic traditions based on Prophet’s life)
Fatima inherited a large fortune from her father whom she used to build a
mosque and university. Mariam, Fatima's sister, was the sponsor of the Al-Andalus
mosque, also in Fes.....

Sayyid Ali Ashgar Razwy

Before Islam,
Khadija was the Princess of Makkah. When the sun of Islam rose above the
horizon, Allah was pleased to make her the Princess of Islam also. Allah was
also pleased to make her the Mother of the Believers, as He says in His Book:
“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives
are their mothers.” (Chapter 33; verse 6)....

Sadia Dehlvi

Sadia Dehlvi

The following lines of Rumi were inscribed on a wooden epitaph over his
tomb, now placed over his father’s grave that speak of how even the physical
structure of the grave is full of life. “If wheat is grown on the clay of my
grave, and if you bake bread of it; your intoxications will increase, the dough
and the baker will go mad and the oven will begin to recite verses out of
ecstasy. When you pay a visit to my tomb, it will seem to be dancing, for God
has created me out of the wine of love and I am still the same love even if
death may crush me.”....

Sadia Dehlvi

Sadia Dehlvi

Hazrat Nizamuddin’s teachings added a new dimension to the
understanding of Islamic ideals. He emphasised that looking after the destitute
had greater value than mere formal religious practices. He taught that although
many ways lead to God none was more effective than bringing happiness to the
human heart. He reiterated that the love of God should be the sole motivation
for the righteous and not the desire for heaven or the fear of hell....

Justin Thomas

Maryam, of course, is also celebrated for the birth of her son,
Isa/Jesus. For many people, December 25 is the date that now represents the
anniversary of this auspicious birth. In the Quranic version of this nativity
we read: "And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm
tree. She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion,
forgotten.’ " (Sura Maryam, Verse 23). For me, the appeal of Maryam is
that she represents the mother. Wise, caring and compassionate: rosa sine spina
(a rose without thorns). There will always be Maryams....

Javeed Akhter

The unravelling of the moral fabric in today’s society must weigh
heavily on the minds of individuals with insight. They can draw personal solace
and inspiration from the Prophet’s life.
The Arab tribal society of the Seventh century, whose structure was
based on greed, debauchery, and violence, was changed in a very short time, by
the Prophet, into a society with one of the highest moral standards in
history....

al.Islam

There
is no house for me that may be ruined, no property which may be destroyed, no
child who may die, and no wife who may become sad. I enter into the morning
while there is nothing for me and enter into the night while there is nothing
for me, and I am the wealthiest person among the children of Adam.”....

Dr. Zahra Kashaniha

Dr. Zahra Kashaniha

In order to
provide a role model, the Holy Qur’an has used various individuals so that
people can use these good exemplars as templates for themselves. Amongst them
is Lady Mary, a reliable example for both women and men. Lady Mary qualifies
for an exceptional ideal because of her fine ancestry and her proper upbringing
in a healthy environment....

Dr. Zahra Kashaniha

Dr. Zahra Kashaniha

According to
numerous Islamic narrations, Lady Mary is one of the four chosen women, namely
Asiyah, Mary, Khadijah and Fatimah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad. .... he
quotes a narration from the Holy Prophet where he says, “The same way the Holy
Prophet gave testimony regarding the perfection of men, he gave testimony about
the perfection of women and he referred to Mary and Asiyah as the most perfect
women” as seen in the following hadith:...

Dr A Q Khan

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi

Maulana Rumi
says that in the revelations of Allah, hidden things are revealed by means of
their opposites. Allah certainly has no opposite and He remains hidden. ‘The
light of Allah (Nur) has no opposite within existence by means of which
it might be made manifest. Therefore, our eyes cannot see Him but He sees
everything’ (6:104). He asks us to understand this from Hazrat Musa (AS) at
Mount Sinai.....

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi

Hazrat Ibrahim
(AS) has been mentioned many times in the Quran. Rumi has dealt with many
topics and many prophets in his Masnavi and his verses on Hazrat Ibrahim (AS)
are quite interesting. Usually, a prophet is divinely guided to present a new
religion, whereas a messenger clarifies the truth of earlier prophets,
messengers and divine books....

Nikhat Sattar

Nikhat Sattar

Among Muslims
and objective non-Muslims, there is no argument on what he stood for: truth,
integrity and the rights of the weak and oppressed. French writer Alphonse de
Lamartine said: “As regards all standards by which human greatness may be
measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” According to
author Reverend Bosworth Smith, “…He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was
Pope without the Pope’s pretensions and Caesar without the legions of Caesar...

Nasim Yousaf

Allama Mashriqi

“Ye Muslims!
Today from this platform I sound you a warning. Listen carefully and ponder. In
1970…A panic of widespread bloodshed will sweep the nation. The frenzy of
racial and provincial prejudices will grip the whole country…Take it from me
that in 1970, Pakistan will be plagued with a grave threat to its sovereignty.
You might actually lose it…I warn you about 1970. I warn you to prepare from
now to face the situation which will emerge in that year…”....

Muntadhir Abbas

Yet what is
fascinating is the constant devout referral to God, and the confidence she has
that what she has undergone is not in vein. This bizarre comfort after so much
loss, and ability to look at events through a completely different lens
accompanied by wisdom, is down to nothing but trust in God and His planning....

Anuj Kumar

Rahat Indori

Rahat says a
poet draws from his times. “Jaisi Hawayein Chalti Hain, Waisi Shaayri Hoti
Hai. What he sees around reflect in his poetry.” And, it is open to
interpretation. He reminds when Ghalib wrote, “Go Haath Ko Jumbish Nahīñ
Āñkhoñ Meñ To Dam Hai, Rahne Do Abhī Sāġhar-O-Mīnā Mire Aage, on the
surface it meant that he is so intoxicated that he can’t hold the glass but he
was still capable of drinking through his eyes. In reality, it was an elegy to
the pain of Delhi which was devastated after the attacks of Nadir Shah.”...

Nasim Yousaf for New Age Islam

Along with
their political activities, the two men also shared similarities in their
general philosophies. Both fought for freedom and equality for all and believed
in women’s active participation in nation building. Both advocated for
developments in science and industrialization. And both believed in freedom of
religion, regardless of one’s faith. ...

Afrah Mansour

After Karbala,
Zainul Aabedeen exhibited unparalleled levels of patience. It goes without
saying that his aunt, the great Zainab bint Ali, did the same too but what is
it about his character that stands out above all else?...